Look at you girl! You have arrived. You are an entrepreneur. You possess a weighty title (Founder and CEO) with which comes equally weighty responsibility. But just what does it mean to be the one in charge? How do you really “do” this entrepreneur gig? Are you the right person for the job? As you probably realize by now, every decision you make has consequences, and not necessarily good ones. What is the process you use to make those difficult decisions? Who is there to keep you in check, and support you along your journey? And God forbid, what if you fail?

So many similar questions and doubts surely consume a large part of your daily mental activity. And when it gets down to your God-given purpose, how does it all mesh with this entrepreneur thing? So let’s begin there. Let’s talk about your purpose. You have embarked on your current journey because there has been a passion, or if you will—a “call” on your life. How can you be sure this is God’s purpose for your life, or is His purpose something different?

Well, fortunately for all of God’s people, we have been given insight to the mind of God. We can take confidence in knowing that God speaks clearly to us through His word, and in His word He clearly articulates His purpose for His people. The real challenge rests in how we live it out…daily.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many,so that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 (NIV)

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (Msg)

Ok—so let’s see if we get this right. I’m supposed to love God with everything I have, and also to love everyone else in the same manner. And everything I do is done to glorify God, which means I do my work as an act of worship and to the best of my God-given ability. And finally as I go (wherever that is in the world) I am to teach others in the way of life, the way I have been taught by Jesus. How we accomplish this purpose will be through the various gifts He has supplied, and in our passions and desires. He gives us the freedom to choose the path, but He has asked all of us to walk that path in the same manner. His desire is for us to be spiritually fruitful and oriented towards others, seeing the world through His eyes, as we walk our chosen path. And for you that means the path of business.

How do you consistently live a spiritually fruitful life as you struggle with the immense challenges of growing and running a business? “Spiritual fruit” by definition is not our responsibility, it is that of His Spirit. God tasks us with the light loads; planting, watering, cultivating, doing it as we go and wherever we go in life. We are to be obedient to His commands, given the people and circumstance He brings into our lives and businesses. The harvest is His.

1 Tim 4:4-5 tells us everything created by God is good. Nothing in and of itself is bad; business is good—very good—the marketplace was created by God to provide work, which is a God-given mandate. Through your business, and by your hand God can use you to provide jobs. And through these jobs and by your leadership you can help your employees discover and develop their unique God-given skills (Ex 35:31-35, Ex 28:3, Ex 31:3-6, Deut 8:18.). The marketplace gives us the opportunity and permission to connect with people in a unique manner, developing deeper relationship, often times in a way that ministry does not allow. We use business to help people care for their families, develop and improve their skills, increase their standard of living, provide financial economy within an environment that currently has limited if no economy. We have the opportunity to use biblical values within our workplace to manage and run our business and thus show our employees, customers and vendors that there is nothing we do that separates our faith from our work; but rather, the principles for how we run our business are defined by our faith.

We are given the opportunity to teach Jesus-principles through our daily decisions and choices, in the manner that we treat and love all those who are touched through our business. This is the model Christ consistently lived during His short time here. He didn’t lead with the gospel. He led with relationship, and love, always speaking the truth in love.